National

Bloemfontein faces water crisis

The water supply to the southern parts of Bloemfontein is starting to dry up, municipal spokesperson Khadija Richards said on Friday afternoon. Richards first warned on Friday morning of an impending water crisis that could leave the city dry over the weekend.

The water supply to the southern parts of Bloemfontein is starting to dry up, municipal spokesperson Khadija Richards said on Friday afternoon.

She said the one southern municipal reservoir, in the residential area of Pellissier, had already dried up by 4pm.

Richards first warned on Friday morning of an impending water crisis that could leave the city dry over the weekend.

The shortage is the result of severe breaks in Bloem Water’s main supply line to the city, Mangaung township and surrounding smallholdings. Repair work over the past few days has disrupted supply, leaving municipal reservoirs close to empty.

Richards said water trucks were put on standby to supply residents whose taps had run dry.
The trucks would be sent on demand.

The latest indications were that the repair work would last until Saturday. It would then take the municipal reservoirs a day to fill, Richards said.

The crisis was therefore expected to be resolved only by Sunday.

Severe water restrictions have in the meantime been imposed.

Residents were ordered to suspend all garden watering and pool filling immediately. Total household use was to be limited to two baths of water per house per day.—Sapa